Trapped Between Two Worlds
by KimiMaiya
Summary: A SasukeXOC fanfic. Enter Maiya Akimoto, a middle school girl who can travel between worlds, both human and Naruto. But when she meets Sasuke Uchiha on his path to Orochimaru and power, can she stop him from betraying the Leaf Village?
1. Entering Maiya Akimoto!

**Hai everyone! This is my second fanfiction, and this time I'm shipping SasuXOC. I don't know why, maybe next time I'll try Naruto. Who knows? :D**

Every fangirl's dream would be living in their favorite anime world. I just never knew I would.

Upon waking up, I notice that the room I'm in doesn't look familiar at all. White walls, teal curtains separating sections. A door opens, and I see someone. A lady with blonde hair, wearing an almost gray kimono-like top, with matching pants and a green jacket. _Tsunade Senju, the Hokage._ But Tsunade's a Naruto character. If I could see her, then, was I one, too?

"Hello. Would you mind telling me your name?" she asks. Since I'm a girl, I don't die immediately from a nosebleed from looking at her. As one of the Sannin, she really is as beautiful as they depict her in the episodes.

"Um, Maiya. Maiya Akimoto." I answer.

"Where am I?" I ask. Tsunade explains that the Konoha gate guards found me, unconscious, lying on the ground. They picked me up, and managed to put me in the infirmary.

"You'll have today to rest. Then, we can take you in as a normal ninja. But, are you from around here?" Tsunade asks cautiously.

"No, not really. I'm from the human world." I explain, leaving out the part about watching the anime Naruto. They might think I'm a stalker.

"Oh. Well, in that case, you can leave. We have an empty apartment you can live in. Tomorrow, you'll start at the Ninja Academy." Tsunade is relieved. As the Hokage, she's probably happy not having to take care of a disgruntled girl, Hokage duties, and constant missions.

As I walk to the apartment, led solely by the written instructions Shizune gave me, I bump into someone. A boy with dark hair that spikes at the back of his head. I already know who this certain emo guy is. Sasuke Uchiha.

"Sorry." I say.

"Who are you, weirdo?" Sasuke asks me. "Another fangirl, maybe?" he doesn't even add sarcasm to the remark, but does bother to smirk.

Stepping forward, I grab his collar, and push him away. His eyes don't widen, even to a fraction of a degree. "If I was, would I want to have anything to do with you?" I angrily growl. I'd never, ever want to be lumped into the fangirl category. Girls with nothing else to do but gape at their eternally hopeless love, doing anything, to the point of insanity. They horde around their crush, asking constantly about personal things. "Oh, do you already have any crushes, Sasuke-kun? What about me?" "Sasuke-kun, can I come to your house after school today?" "Hello, Sasuke-kun. Are you free for a date today?" If they have that much free time, then shouldn't they be training?

"New?" Sasuke smirks.

"Yeah." I admit.

"Where from?"

"Out of town. I'm from the human world."

Sasuke's eyes widen, slightly. I'm satisfied that he has at least one emotion, surprise. Without thinking, I pass by him, my gaze focusing once again on the instructions. I notice someone behind me. _Come on, Sasuke._

"What do you plan to achieve by following me, Sasuke?" I sigh.

"Avoiding fangirls. You can be my shield,"Sasuke waits to find out my name.

"Maiya. Maiya Akimoto." I say. I guess fangirls must be pretty annoying, not to mention a pain in the ass. No wonder Sasuke's sullen and moody all the time.

I decode the last instructions, and sigh in relief. I finally found my way to my new apartment. Walking up the stairs, Sasuke trailing me for whatever reason, I open the door, then shut it quickly.

"Finally. No more Sasuke." I smile.

"Nope. Still here." Sasuke peeps up behind me, barely missing a whack to the head. I _was_ considering his manhood, but decided that would make a bad impression. Next time, his manhood shall be a serious consideration.

" _Stay_ here, ok?" I make sure he doesn't move, grounding him in the living room.

My apartment has a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. The bedroom is painted light blue, with a bed, a desk, and a closet. Setting down my backpack on the bed, I open the closet and find a mirror, a brush, some shirts, shorts, and pants. My backpack has my ninja outfit, as well as a pillow. I spread out the outfit, planning to tailor it to my tastes later, after I get rid of a certain bug. The kitchen is fully stocked, with utensils, boxes of yummy seaweed, cup ramen, counters, and a refrigerator. Coming back to the living room, I find Sasuke plopped on the couch, lazily staring up at the ceiling.

"What do you want, Sasuke?" I growl, glaring. Sasuke motions to me to come sit next to him. I pick the farthest spot on the couch and sit there. He motions for me to come closer. I move a centimeter. Sasuke looks at me, a serious, questioning look in his eyes.

"Are you a fangirl or not, Mai?"

"Number one. When did you start calling me Mai? Number two. If I was a fangirl, I would be giving you food, chocolates, my room, and my life." I reason.

I walk past him yet again, opening the door, shutting it, and sprinting to the nearest ledge where I can hide. The sun is shining, a flaming ball in the clear blue sky. I need to find someone to tailor my outfit. Who should I pick? Kurenai-sensei? Maybe, but I don't think she has time. Anko? No, she would probably be too busy eating dango. Tsunade? No, Hokage duties.

 _Crap. The ninja clothes._ I'm sure Sasuke's still lounging in my apartment, chilling out. I spot a tall, solid tree that leads just close enough to the side window. Scaling it, I reach out and open the window. Bracing myself for the jump, I leap. I just make it. My foot grazes the ledge on the window, but otherwise, I don't think I've made a sound. Tiptoeing, I pull the clothes off the bed and stuff them into my backpack. Just as I prepare to escape, a hand grabs mine, yanking me backwards.

"What-" I begin.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke smirks his signature smirk, the Emo Kid Smirk.

"God!" I rush past him, jumping the full 7 or so feet. I land, thankfully on my feet, and not any other body part.

I run, earning me surprised, confused looks from ninja passerbys. _Dammit, Sasuke. Why?_ I hate him. All uppity, and not to mention a stalker. _Now, where does Kurenai-sensei live?_

 **I suck at learning Sasuke's way of speaking, so I'll tweak it a bit, so just gimme some time. lol.**


	2. The Kunoichi's New Clothes

**So, basically, I decided to keep on going. This will probably be a 20-30 chapter book at the most. I'll make some interesting missions, following up until Sasuke stupidly "increases his power" with Orochimaru, the eternally weirdo stalker guy who might also be a closet perv. Just saying...**

I manage to scout out Hinata, and ask her in a nice way. She replies, saying that she saw Kurenai-sensei near the Hokage's office. I slow my run to a jog, finally seeing the tall, two-decked, red and yellow building.

"Oh, hello, are you new?" a kind female voice asks me.

"Well, yes. I'm Maiya Akimoto. In a way. You see, I'm from a different world, the human world, and for some reason I ended up here in Konoha. Lady Tsunade wants me to start at the Ninja Academy tomorrow, and Shizune gave me some ninja clothes. Is it ok if you help me tailor them, Kurenai-sensei?" I ask. Kurenai is one of my all-time favorite female characters, along there with Anko and Mei Terumi. Back home, I tried to be like them. Bad***, bold, and caring in their own way. Kurenai, first of all, has a beautifully ninja-esque outfit, not too revealing (hint, hint ANKO!) but still unique, a caring attitude, and knows what it's like to be a young kuniouchi.

(Sorry for spelling that wrong. XD)

"Oh, of course. We can meet at my house, and tailor the clothes there. If you have to be at the Academy by tomorrow, you need to learn the basics by tonight and carry on until late or early morning." Kurenai-sensei warned me.

"So, why don't you tell me how old you are, and what type of outfit you want?" Kurenai asked.

"Hmm. Well, I'm 12 years old, and I'm thinking of a dress that's slit in the middle, so I can move around easier, with black pants and fishnet." I thought out loud.

As we both walked, I discussed the outfit I would like, while Kurenai-sensei listened thoughtfully. Finally, we reached her house. I enter the front door, and set my backpack on the table, opening the contents. There's a long, azure blue dress, that probably will reach to my ankles, a fishnet shirt, a pair of black leggings, and a pair of fishnet leggings.

"Ah. Why don't you try on the clothes, and then tell me what changes you want to make?"

I nod. Heading into a small section separated by a curtain, I start with the fishnet shirt and leggings. Staring down, I find that I can't see my feet, only two skin-colored blobs. I panic. What are these? Am I fat? I'm too embarrassed to ask Kurenai-sensei, and I'm afraid she'll laugh.

"Sensei, what're these two blobs located where my chest should be?" I ask, blushing red all over.

Kurenai-sensei laughs. For a moment, I think that my prediction came true.

"Maiya, those are called breasts. Now, this will seem weird, but just try this on. Wear it when you go outside, but take it off when you go inside, or to sleep." Kurenai-sensei holds an almost mini tank-top, with two dome-shaped pieces of fabric. Struggling, I manage to put it on me successfully. It feels awkward, but isn't too tight or too loose. I adjust the hook a bit, and it seems better.

"Oh, and Maiya? If you notice blood coming out of your lady parts, just put this on, and change it at least two times a day." I have no idea what Kurenai-sensei is talking about, but since she's a woman, I trust her. She also gives me a weird cotton oblong-ish rectangle.

"It feels normal." I say. Slipping on the fishnet and dress, I see that the dress does indeed go to my ankles. I notice that instead of the slightly conical-ish shape my chest used to be, there are two even domes, which relieves me. My mother and father passed away 3 years ago in a hit-and-run, and I don't exactly have a mother or father figure. It was hard, at first. But I managed, grieving silently, crying inaudibly, only at home, where no one could hear, pulling through, and now, stupid as it sounds, I'm grateful to have a "mom."

The day passes by as Kurenai-sensei and I adjust the look. Kurenai-sensei deals the major cuts, cutting the hem of the dress at an angle and just above my knees, changing the neckline of the dress to a sloped scoop, and cutting the fishnet leggings to fishnet three quarter lengths. She leaves the rehemming and fine tuning to me. I barely finish the fishnet when we both notice the sun setting. Quickly, I thank Kurenai-sensei, gather my new clothes, and leave.

As I unlock my apartment door, I'm finally free of a certain, lingering, rather emo pest. I fix myself a small snack of seaweed, enjoying the food like a delicacy. Heading to the bathroom, I brush my teeth and comb my hair. When I'm done, I settle down in my bedroom, preparing to work on my dress. The fishnet is done, and I just need to hem the bottom of the dress, and the neckline. I painstakingly slide the thread through the microscopic needle hole, and carefully make medium sized stitches with the blue thread Kurenai-sensei gave me, along with the extra dress scraps, and black thread. I can still remember her teasing me, "Make something nice for the boys!"

It seems to take forever, but I finish hemming the dress and admire my handiwork. Suddenly, an internal flashlight turns on. _I can sew the black leggings to my fishnet leggings!_ Even though that will result in less sleep, I decide to do it. It'll be less work in the morning, after all. I switch to the black thread for the leggings. Time drags by, and I figure I must have ten undereye circles. Dragging _myself_ to my bed, I close my eyes, and instantly, fall asleep.

 **Hai everyone! First of all, I suck at explaining the joys, oh the _joys_ of having a bra and becoming a woman. Even though I am one. Wow, me, wow. So sorry. Next, please read and review. Lastly, please don't roast me. Unless you're a worthy opponent, you will unlock a monster within me known to most as the Roast Monster. Naruto ref. Then, you will be haunted with roasts until you die. Just a friendly warning. (Me in real life: LOLOL THE ROAST MONSTER! WHAT A LAUGH! LAWL! XD)**


	3. When I'm With Her

My eyes gradually open, and I register the time. 6:30 AM. Phew. I woke up at an ok time. Extracting myself from my bed, I put on my ninja outfit.

I put on the fishnet, leggings, and dress. The neckline of the dress forms a wide scoop, in contrast with the turtleneck-like neckline of the fishnet shirt. The sleeves of the dress come down to a three quarter length, while the fishnet sleeves stop at my wrists. There's a tan sash, which connects to my weapon pouches of the same color. One holds kunai knives, the other shuriken. The dress hangs just above my knees, and so do the black leggings. The fishnet leggings are at a three quarter length, as well. But what I like most about this dress is the slit in the front. The slit starts from the tan sash-belt, and allows free, normal movement. The hem of the dress, both in front and back, is like an upside-down V cut in half, because of the slit.

I'm beginning to like the Naruto world. The real world's focused, in my opinion, too much on fashion. Models walking on runways, their bodies starved, for both food and attention. Actors that should be tanned, curvy, and pretty. But the abnormal Naruto world is so much more, ironically, normal. People only focus on being a good ninja, and missions, training, and exercise all help with being moderately fit. Girls aren't expected to be curvy and tanned, and boys don't have to have rock-hard six-packs, or ooze sex appeal. People look at talent, not looks.

 _Except for Sasuke and his fangirls._ I remark internally.

I look at my face as I brush my raven black hair into a braid. Dark blue eyes, light olive-toned skin. Blue eyes and black hair isn't common, but sometimes I wish I had brown eyes. It seems so weird, but, I hate attention, aside from friends and family. Being adored at school just evokes a hard cringe from me. Having a horde of love-thirsty boys follow me around would make me contemplate suicide, or just moving away to Rio and changing my name. Having people point at me and exclaim, "Oh, wow! You have DARK BLUE eyes! Cool!" is pretty unsettling, as if the world needed to know why I have black hair and blue eyes. I have my mom's unique black hair-blue eye face, but I get my rock-hard attitude from my father. He was gentle when he needed to be, but when faced with a challenge, he would tough it out and keep at it.

I leave the bathroom, wondering what I should prepare for breakfast. I glance at the clock. 6:50. Ten minutes to eat, ten minutes to make breakfast. I accept the challenge! Ah. I know, ramen with cut up seaweed. Cooking the ramen is easy, and cutting the seaweed is a breeze. I make a mental note to make this meal more for breakfast. I take a sip. I expected to be repulsed by my lack of cooking skills, but the ramen does a lot of work, and so does the seaweed. It tastes slightly salty and sweet, as well as ocean-like thanks to the seaweed.

I slurp down the rest and start walking to school, when I notice my next-door neighbor. Blond, spiky hair. Blue eyes lighter than mine. A carefree grin. "Hey! Who are you?" he asks pointedly.

"Maiya Akimoto. You?" I ask.

"Naruto U-zu-maki!" he stressed the syllables.

"Oh, I've heard of you." _And probably the rest of the world, too._ "You're that guy always getting into trouble, right?"

"I prefer you call it being creative." Naruto grins.

"Hey, are you around here?" Naruto looks confused.

"No, I'm from a different area." I code my words, because somehow I know that if I tell Naruto that I'm from a different world, he will go insane.

We start walking to the Academy, and we both begin to open up, Naruto, then me. Naruto tells me his life, and we both relate to each other. We just click, I guess. We're both nearing the entrance, when, Sasuke the pest steps behind me.

"Maiya, you look good today." Sasuke notices. Why is he only referring to me? There are other pretty girls, right?

"Why, Sasuke, you pest, _thank you._ " I emphasize the last words just enough to be insulting.

"We have a deal, right?" He bugs me. I sigh. I step in front of him. At home, whenever we went to the sea or nearby beach, I could always feel a slight tinge, a connection, even though a weak one. My friends and grandma just told me to ignore it. But I never believed them. But here, in the Naruto world, there are dozens of types of Chakra Releases. Mine could be Water. I connect, joining hands with that feeling again. I feel a powerful surge in the heart of my gut, and I form a sphere of water in my right hand, and aim it at the heart of the fangirl crowd. They quickly disperse, not wanting to look any worse than perfect in front of their Sasuke.

"Took you long enough, Maiya." Sasuke smirks.

"That was my first time." the comeback rolls off my tongue.

"Good. For beginners."

"What is it with you? You're moodier than usual."

The crowd of students quickly shuffles into the doorway, and Sasuke and I follow heed. In the hallway, I get plenty of dirty looks by supposed fangirls. _Honestly. If they all like Sasuke, couldn't they at least not hate each other?_

* * *

 _Shes's so pretty._ I think. I look at her, sitting in front of me. Even tucked away in a long braid, her raven black hair is beautiful, the same shade as mine. Her lapis blue eyes take in the class. Her outfit also goes along with what I think is her type of Chakra Release. Water. From what I can see, she's advancing quickly, learning skills that would take days for normal students to understand in 5 minutes.

"Okay, class. Today, your homework will be to study what we have learned over the past week. Tomorrow, we will determine what team you're in, as well as if you pass or not." Our sensei, Iruka Umino, says. The class begins to disperse, starting to buzz about which team they hope they get on. Nonchalantly, I walk over to Maiya's desk, and ask, "Do you want to train together?"

She glares at me. For a second, I thought I was walking on thin ice, but I refuse to let any signs of weakness or nervousness register. She relents, to my surprise, and agrees.

"Meet me outside the Academy in half an hour." she says. In the meantime, I sit down on a bench, rearrange my hair, and act British. In reality, I suck at staying away from fangirls. But I would never say that to anyone. Especially Maiya.

* * *

I barely make it back to my apartment before I meet Sakura. She comes up to me, and tries to provoke me, I can tell.

"Who are you? Why are you talking to Sasuke?" she angrily shouts.

"I'm just being me. Are you hiding a little monster behind that nice face, too?" I ask, gently teasing her. I don't want to come off as mean, but also don't want to come off as weak and gullible either.

"Stay away from him!" she yells, pushing me. I make a small sphere of water and splash it on her. Her reaction is worth it. I don't really like her, mainly because she never scored many winning fights, and even then, those were long, dragged out fights. She always hit Naruto, probably for comic relief, but the worst part was that she worshipped Sasuke.

I rush inside while she's still soaked. I close the bedroom door and pull off my dress. I adjust my bra, then slip a blue sports bra over, courtesy of Kurenai-sensei. Slipping my dress back on, I climb on the window and latch to the tree, climbing down quickly so Sakura doesn't see me. I start running to the Academy, with a mixture of fear, excitement, and nervousness down my spine.

I meet Sasuke there, in a clearing in the woods for fangirl reasons. He smiles, actually one of the rare, real smiles I suppose he does alone where no one can see.

"Let's start. Ok. You still haven't learned everything, so let me catch you up and we can begin to spar."

"Fine." I agree. My mind is still ringing from the slew of lessons I had to learn.

Sasuke goes on about how to use shuriken and kunai knives, as well as determining genjutsu or ninjutsu. When his speech finally ends, we begin to circle each other, a practice spar in a clearing. Sasuke takes an offensive position. I lean back on the defensive. We trade equally painful hits.

(2 hrs later)

By now, we're both tired, yet too stubborn to admit it. We go at fighting again, until my breathing grows heavy and pained. Sasuke doesn't look good either. _Like a stone wall. Dent it, and it will begin to crack. Keep on hitting it, and soon, it will collapse._ I sit back, leaning on a tree. Sasuke follows suit. We rest, for what I think is 20 minutes. But it seems like a blink. A blissful rest. My breathing returns to normal, when Sasuke gets up.

I wonder what he's getting up for, when the world seems to become dimmer, and dimmer.

* * *

Sasuke was about to talk to her, but then Maiya just had to fall asleep. He walked over to her, crouching down, so he could see her better. Her eyelids were gently closed. Her hair fell in a long, sleek braid, like a streak of black, tumbling down her shoulders and barely falling to her stomach. Carefully, when he was sure she was asleep, he reached and pushed back a stray strand of hair, tucking it behind her ear.

He leaned closer to her, and while he would never say it aloud, he would never be brave enough to kiss her on the lips. Instead, he planted a short, sweet kiss on her forehead, and cupped her face in his hands. She was so peaceful when she was sleeping, never yelling at him.

He didn't even understand why he loved her. Maiya Akimoto, a human who became a ninja of Konoha. Yelling at him, never swaying to become a fangirl, like a tree that didn't sway to the wind pushing against it.

Sasuke didn't know why he loved her. All he knew was that he was in love with her.

 **Ok. So, HUMONGOUS shout out to Bella-swan11 for favoriting Neji and Hinata! Anyways, thanks for all your visits, and I promise promise promise I will keep on writing. I won't ghost you guys. In the short 5 or so days I've been here, I've discovered a wonderful community of creative stories. (lol too cheesy for meh.)**

 **I will be busier, because:**

 **Middle school stuff**

 **Piano MTAC Assessment stuff**

 **Clarinet Solo Ensemble stuff**

 **Band stuff**

 **But I will keep on posting to keep you guys entertained! :D**


	4. The New Team 7

I wake up, and the ground below me seems to bob up and down. Only then does my brain figure out that I'm being carried. _Wait._ A lock of black hair falls at my side. _Oh, god. Sasuke?_ He's carrying me?

Without warning, I jump off onto the ground. I turn, and see an annoyed Sasuke staring at me. But before he can talk, I cut in.

"Erm, Sasuke? Hey, thanks for telling me about the other lessons. I really appreciate it. Also, thanks for sparring with me. See you." I say, turning around and leaving discreetly so his horde doesn't discover me.

* * *

The next day, I walk to school alone. I'm still pretty embarrassed by what happened yesterday, even though I don't understand why. He just carried me. That's all, right?

As I head to school, I can feel the stone cold glares of fangirls. I almost smile, but manage to keep it inside of me so they won't be offended. But once they spot Sasuke, they horde around him, snapping greedy pictures, swooning and yelling, "MOE!" I know what that means in Japanese, which makes it all the more laughable.

But I remember my agreement as Sasuke's bodyguard. I just need to make him do something for me. Well, if I be his bodyguard/fangirl killer, then he could train me to become better. Sighing, I sneak up behind the fangirls, and shoot a blast of water from my palm, spraying it on the ground and on the fangirls. I run away, snickering at their freaked out expressions. They scramble faster than a cat from a bathtub.

"Nice." Sasuke complements me in his own way. This simple word from Sasuke renders me stuttering and blubbering like a fool. I turn away, instead heading toward Naruto. In a way, I'm glad he likes Sakura and not me. He won't end up banging heads with Sasuke, even though a small part of me still thinks that he might.

"Hey, Naruto. How are ya?" I greet him.

"Great! I passed the entrance exam, ya know!" he smiles, a big grin that almost splits his face in half.

"Something happened late last night, and I ended up passing!" Naruto explains as we smush into the doorway. I head to my class, and hear the excited babble of chatter about the team selection. Filing in the class, we're greeted by Iruka-sensei.

"Hello again, class. Because today the teams will be selected, we'll be following a different schedule. First, I'll tell the teams, and which room you're to go to. Once you assemble with your team, you will go to said room. There, wait for your sensei." he instructs us.

"Team 1!"

"Team 2!"

"Team 3!"

"Team 4!"

"Team 5!"

"Team 6!"

"Team 7! Sasuke Uchiha-" an uproar erupts from the hardcore fangirls, and I roll my eyes. After silencing them, he starts again.

"Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and-" a hush settles, and even with me here, I still think it'll be Sakura.

"Maiya Akimoto! You'll be in Room 2." my eyes widen. Wailing shouts begin to fill the room, and I regret ever coming to the Naruto world. I can feel all the glares and leers from the fangirls penetrating through my back. I compose myself, bracing for Sakura's attack.

"Wait, but WHY? Why am I with _him?_ " Naruto complains.

"Sasuke, you got the highest scores of anyone. Naruto, you scored the lowest. And Maiya, you're the best pick for making them work together!" Iruka explains. When Naruto's test scores are revealed, the class erupts in laughter. I feel bad for Naruto, although thankfully he seems used to it.

I grab both Naruto and Sasuke by the arms and practically yank them out of here. Of course, being between them I can see the rivalry of eye power, a suspiciously strong lightning-like streak connecting between their eyes. I resist laughing.

"Guys. We're in the same team. We need to work together, or else we won't get anything done. You need to put your rivalry to rest and focus on being a good team." They both seem to relent, to my relief. I don't want to become a Sakura trying to help them.

We go in Room 2, and soon Naruto begins to become restless. Then Sasuke. I try to be a good, or at least mediocre example, but I've always been hyperactive. We all pace, and Naruto comes up with the plan to stick a chalkboard cleaner in the doorway.

"Once the sensei comes in, they'll never notice it!" Naruto cackles. Sasuke smirks and doesn't help Naruto, but I do. I carefully climb up the door and wedge it in between the door and the top of the doorhinge. A couple minutes later, the sensei comes in. I know the prank is lame, but he does fake falling for it. Naruto falls on the floor laughing maniacally, while Sasuke teases him about being a dobe. I let them do their thing. They're rowdy Naruto world boys, after all.

"Hi, guys. I'm Kakashi Hatake. Your new teacher." Kakashi-sensei sounds amused.

We all greet the teacher. To my surprise he tells us where to meet tomorrow morning.

"7:30 AM. Training grounds. Tomorrow morning. See you." Kakashi walks off, reaching for his perverted book. I can almost see a very faint streak of red trailing from his nose. So that's why he wears a mask. Hehehehehe.

We disperse, saying bye to each other. I walk out of the Academy, but two angry girls stalk up to me.

"Why are you here, on the same team as our Sasuke-kun?" They yell at me. I resist the urge to smirk and instead keep an even, serious expression.

"Well, maybe because-" I begin. I'm cut off from the girl on the right.

"I challenge you to a fight! Whoever wins won't be bothered anymore by the loser." She declares. Several more pairs of curious eyes drift over to us. I can feel one pair zoning on me, but I'm too absorbed to tell who it is.

We back away from each other. I have to admit, for a fangirl, she's pretty okay. She alternates swiping at me and lunging. I switch between jumping and clawing, almost like a cat. A crazy idea forms while I'm in the thick of the fight. I slip a hand behind my back, slowly gathering chakra, accumulating without either of them knowing. Then, when they drop their attention to plot something, I slip my other hand, and alternate giving chakra from both hands. Then, when I feel the water sphere is large enough, I shoot it at them with what I hope is formidable force. They still haven't finished whispering to each other when the huge water sphere crashes into them. Their faces panic, and they hold up their arms, but it's no use. The water slams into them. They fall, humiliated. I sort of feel bad for them, but they called the challenge, and I responded. I walk away, heading to my apartment.

Sasuke meets up with me, actually smiling.

"You actually beat them." He smirks.

"Well, it wasn't hard. They didn't have much time to train when they were fawning over you." I explain. By the hurt look in Sasuke's face, I know I said something wrong. My tongue was hard to control, and this was just another example. I stutter, which is pretty rare.

"God! Sorry, Sasuke, I'm so sorry." I hesitate, then reach my arm out to pat his shoulder. Just a small, gentle pat. Then, flustered, I run the rest of the way.

 **So I hope you guys like it! Please read, review, and follow. I'm pretty busy with homework, so expect updates on weekends. Thanks! :D**


	5. Kakashi's Challenge

**Ok guys! 5th chapter! Let's do this!**

Sasuke walked home alone. He didn't care about fangirls. They just followed him, taking pictures, making futile attempts of conversation. Besides, if they missed time for practice, then wasn't it their fault? He did normal things, didn't he? He didn't flirt with the fangirls. They brought it on themselves, drooling over him like a god. He hated it. He hated them. All of them.

But Maiya apologized. Which should've cleared things up, but didn't. He could feel the emanating warmth of her hand on his shoulder. In some unexplainable way, he wanted, no, needed that warmth. His mother would sometimes pat him, but then came him. Itachi Uchiha. The sole killer of the Uchiha clan. All of them, gone, dead. The raging, boiling hatred began to surface, and Sasuke switched thoughts. The only way to contain his sadness, his grief, his sorrow, melting into hatred. Condensed all at Itachi. His own brother.

It had been such a long time before he felt that warmth again. And now, Maiya Akimoto burst onto the scene. Then she left, running away before he could ask her to explain. _Damn._ Sasuke didn't understand anything. He felt as if a large, jumbled puzzle was staring him right in the face. Chaos, pieces that didn't fit, problems. He didn't understand any of it.

* * *

I puzzle over what happened with Sasuke. God. I was just doing great today, wasn't I? My teammates fighting, hurting Sasuke. Why did I even care about him that much? I'm starting to be a fangirl.

My hands flutter to my hair. The long waves of black silk cascade over my shoulders. Without thinking, I undo the hairtie, letting my hair fall freely. It slides down to the middle of my back. With one hand, I stroke the smooth hair. One by one, memories come flooding back.

I can remember my mother's face. Smiling, not knowing, not realizing that the fateful trip to San Francisco would kill her. My dad, his arm in hand with hers, driving down the driveway, waving goodbye. "We'll see you soon!"

I would never see them again.

The ambulance flashes in my head, over and over again like a painful mantra. "She's gone through post-traumatic stress disorder."

I know what's going to happen. I drop, my knees crumbling as my screams replay over, and over in my head. I shut my eyes tightly. Shakily, I stand up, veering to the left into a small alleyway. The sun peeks through the alley, brightening up everything but me.

I can't stop the replay. Me screaming, the heart-wrenching tears flowing from me and my grandma. The beep of the heart sensor getting slower, then going flat. _Beeeeeeeeeeep._ I can remember my mother's last words.

"I love you, Maiya." She whispered, weakly fading from me. I was seven.

Wet, hot tears flood my face as I cry. I'm not ashamed. My mother wasn't killed immediately, but my father was. Then, the stress, the pain was too much to handle. My grandmother and grandfather passed, months within each other. I was technically an orphan. But I maintained myself. Living with my aunt, going to school, a quiet friend group, small but unique. I was an only child.

I feel comforting arms wrap around me. I look up at a pair of onyx eyes. Staring down at me, and hugging me closer. If I wasn't already crying, I would probably rip him away from me. But I don't.

"What happened?" He asks gently. I know he's gone through this before.

"Dad. Mom. Grandma. Grandpa. In the same order." I whisper.

He pulls me closer, and scoots a little in the shade. His hand strokes my hair.

"Post-traumatic stress disorder." I explain. I don't need to be lengthy. I just need him to understand.

We don't move. Instead, we stay there until evening. I fall asleep for a while. I can feel a bond between us. A thick, strong bond. Sasuke went through the same things as I did. I wake up when he falls asleep. I hesitate, then lean closer. My lips brush his cheek. I jerk myself away. Good thing he's still sleeping. Slowly, I carry him back to his home. Then, I walk back home. I'm grateful to him, really, after every thing I said to hurt him, and him paying me back. By comforting me.

* * *

The next day, I jump out of bed. Reviewing all the techniques Sasuke told me a few days ago as I grab breakfast, I gulp. Kakashi-sensei is one of the hardest teachers. Rumors about him never passing any team.

 **Hello. Author here. So Maiya watches Naruto, (sorta just original, not Shippuden) so she knows some basic characters, but NOT all. :D**

I swallow my fear while I wait for the rest of the team. Sasuke and I are here. Naruto's probably sleeping in, dreaming about ramen. Absentmindedly, I form a water sphere in one palm and begin to mold it with chakra on the other. A bit like Naruto's Rasengan, but this time I pull the water into sharp, pointy spikes. I test around, and will the water to protect me.

I shape the water into a point again and walk up to Sasuke.

"Is it pointy?" I ask. They seem pretty sharp to me, but something's missing. I test it, drilling it into the ground with a sharp thrust of my palm.

"Eh. Here." Sasuke walks over, gently putting his hand over mine and stilling my chakra. This simple act, simple move makes me catch my breath. Sasuke doesn't seem to notice.

"Make your chakra focused. On one thing, one thing only." He advises.

Naruto's head pops up in front of me, and I mold my water into a hammer and whack his head. Letting go, I release the water as it sploshes onto his head.

"Hey! Naruto, you dobe. Don't waste your chakra." He initially aims the warning at Naruto but then turns it to me.

"But it's fun!" I protest, relenting. Soon enough, Kakashi-sensei lazes over, a smut book in one hand and a kunai spinning in the other.

"Time to begin, guys. You remember the instructions from yesterday, right?" Kakashi asks, the kunai like a crazy spinning top. "Remember, if you get the bells, you can eat lunch. If you don't, you skip it. Also, if two of you guys get the bells, then the third without a bell will skip lunch. Under NO circumstances are you to share food. If you do, your team will be disqualified." Naruto gulps. Sasuke stirs. I feel as scared as Naruto looks.

Without warning, Kakashi grabs the kunai, stopping it completely with sheer willpower. "Then. Let's begin. Go!"


	6. The Bell

**Hai guys! Yep, every update I'll say that. I'm going to recreate the bell test to the best of my ability, but I'll also improvise a bit. From now on, not including the bell test, all the missions will be improvised. I don't want to rewrite the Zabuza and Haku vs Tazuna, Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Maiya. Sorry! But hope ya like it.**

I scan the area near me. Good, flat land, a small river, a good water source, and a forest. I could use the river, as well as the grass-covered ground to draw out water, but otherwise I would need to use normal weapons. I leap, seeking refuge in the forest. I climb up as high as I can, and can spot Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei.

Naruto blindly rushes Kakashi-sensei multiple times. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Every ninja should know that running in front of the enemy is the road to letting your enemy see your attack. But, then again, Naruto isn't like other ninjas. I smile. When Kakashi-sensei sneaks up behind Naruto and raises his arms, I can tell that both Sasuke and I are expecting a normal jutsu, but Kakashi-sensei just sticks his finger in Naruto's butt.

I nearly bust out laughing. _Dammit._ If Kakashi is as good as I hear he is, then by now he must've pinpointed my location. I can see Sasuke tiptoeing behind Kakashi, his hand in a pre-Fireball Jutsu position. Kakashi-sensei spins around, catching Sasuke. I think by now I can do something. I jump down, landing silently, and sneak to the riverbed. I use the mud to draw water out from, and find that using mud makes the water more solid, formidable. Using plain water is pretty soft and easy to deflect. I use mud-water and sharpen it to a fine point, drawing all my focus into this one spike. I add two more, and walk behind Kakashi-sensei while Sasuke keeps him busy. I thrust it at him.

Kakashi-sensei begins to keel over, but quickly changes into a log. _Transformation Jutsu. Tricking ninjas since the beginning of the Narutoverse._ I quickly leap back. Kakashi-sensei takes a step toward Naruto and Sasuke, but decides to focus on me. I calm myself, stilling everything in me.

He alternates various attacks, keeping me at bay on the defensive. Leaping, jumping, slashing, throwing kunai. I know that I need to go on offense soon. I look down at the ground. I'm near the mud. In a swift movement, I form water balls, changing the surface from smooth to spiky. I throw it at him, like I would a frisbee or ball.

He dodges them, but not before one of the spikes rips his sleeve. I grin. A little at a time. I can do this.

Without thinking it through, I grab a ball of water and direct it into my thigh holster. A gift from Kurenai-sensei. Good thing the holster's waterproof.

I look up in time to see a blade graze my shoulder. I look at Kakashi-sensei. I draw out my temporary resource of water and form thin, sharp disks, like ultra-thin frisbees. I throw it, and while it seems to miss him, it soon distracts Kakashi-sensei by arcing around and cutting his leg. Not a severe cut, so I don't have much time. I form a water clone and pelt attacks on him while sneaking up on him as well. I run like lightning, managing to touch the bell, barely grazing it before Kakashi-sensei does another transformation jutsu.

I retreat to the forest and map out a plan. Kakashi is a smart man, he can detect when something's gone awry. So I need to either outsmart him, or divide his attention. I divided his attention, but that time I came from the sides. If I came from the ground, though...

I use up my last store of water to drill deeply into the ground. I close it up, first using water, then mud, then dirt. "Water Void Jutsu!" I say. I use some chakra to separate the water from the mud, leaving dirt that collapses in a tunnel-like shape. I walk silently, stopping when I hear pulsing sensations. Chakra, I can tell.

I rip out of the ground, launching several kunai knives while forming the biggest sphere of water I have ever seen. It completely encases Kakashi-sensei and me, and I rush at him. The kunai knives distract him, since the water reflects any projectiles inside of it. I jump and leap as I maintain the sphere. I touch one of the bells, and my hand tightens immediately. I grabbed it! I actually got it!

I disengage the sphere and hide in the forest once again, now protective of my precious bell. Only then do I register how tired I am. I'm breathing heavily, from all the chakra usage. That ball used up too much chakra. Next time, I need to downsize my jutsu. Small, but powerful attacks will surprise any future enemies as well.

I glance at the shining yellow bell. It seems new, yet so old. I wonder where he got these from. I crane my neck to see Sasuke just now getting his. He makes no effort to hide his smirk. Naruto, on the other hand, seems to be having a lot of trouble. He's struggling, I can tell.

"Naruto! You'll be tied to this pole. Maiya, Sasuke, you can sit and eat lunch. Don't share with Naruto." Kakashi gestures to three wooden poles, while tying Naruto up. All the stamina and energy I used reflects at me while I eat. I'm famished. I begin to dig into a rice ball while I realize that Naruto probably is as hungry as me, if not hungrier. As if in response, his belly growls ferociously.

"Here. Eat some." Sasuke reluctantly holds out his portion, feeding Naruto his rice ball.

"Yeah, you can share mine too." I agree, feeding Naruto my small bit of egg roll. The success of your mission doesn't matter if your teammates are injured, close to dying.

Kakashi suddenly appears in a spiral of leaves, frowning deeply. "You broke the rules!" He growls at us. "So..." He waits, making the moment more dramatic.

"You pass." He says simply. I smile, Naruto's grin cuts his face open, and Sasuke isn't so tense.

 **Hello again! I'm trash at fighting/battle scenes. The next mission will also be pretty funny, but a B rank, sort of like the Tazuna mission. Hope you like it!**

"Those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Kakashi-sensei tells us, his eyes far away and distant. Like he was remembering something.


End file.
